Jake Rosholt cut by the UFC after submission loss to Kendall Grove
HT: twitter.com/jakerosholt
UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 coverage
about 2 years ago
Nick Thomas
115 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
Bummer for him but he does have a lot of work to do before he is ready to compete in the UFC. Hes got a lot of potential he just needs to get some more experience.
Giving Shogun his props. I had the fight 48-47 Machida but Shogun put up a monumental performance and I am honored to have seen it in person.
I bet it is more of a bummer for his financial backers who pay him a salary and get 50% of his earnings.
Interesting, where did you hear about that?
Giving Shogun his props. I had the fight 48-47 Machida but Shogun put up a monumental performance and I am honored to have seen it in person.
It’s the gym that he trains with.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
by AJB on Dec 1, 2009 7:23 AM EST up reply actions
WTF?
So he lost to Dan Miller (no shame), beat down Chris Leben, and handled Grove before the out-of-nowhere triangle. Why cut him?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Nov 30, 2009 6:02 PM EST reply actions
He also has like seven more wins in the UFC.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Nov 30, 2009 8:18 PM EST up reply actions
and 2 - 3 in his last 5, 5 - 5 in his last 10
I’m sorry, but it’s time to let him go.
"Shotguns? What, like guns that fire shots?"
@deowade
Probably but that has nothing to do with whether Rosholt should or shouldn’t be let go too, it’s two very separate issues.
Rosholt wasn't ready for the UFC
Plain and simple.
"Shotguns? What, like guns that fire shots?"
@deowade
I agree completely, I also agree that Leben’s days should be numbered and I doubt he would be missed if he disappeared from the UFC, it’s just that those are two different subjects. People shouldn’t be comparing the two or using Leben’s continued contract as a reason why Rosholt shouldn’t of been cut. It’s just unrelated on several levels.
Leben has been knocked down to prelim status. If he loses, I bet he gets cut.
"Negative, negative. I gotta stay lean and lightning and ready to fight." Capt. H.M. Murdock
WEC
He would have been fine if the WEC kept his weight class. He was moving up, but the UFC was too much too soon.
Strikeforce’s Middleweight Division is actually their best division, so Rosholt may want to jump on that. He can fight Smith, Radach, Lawler, Shields, Mayhem Miller, Lindland, Souza, and Diaz if he wants to move up. Even though I can imagine the UFC picking Rosholt back up after some more experience, Strikeforce would still be wise to pick up a young prospect like Rosholt.
That is indeed hard to justify.
Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion
by The Kittitas Kid on Nov 30, 2009 8:29 PM EST up reply actions
If Leben drops another fight he’ll probably be next to Rosholt begging on Coker’s doorstep too. The UFC drops fighters all the time for all sorts of reasons and they pick guys back up all the time too. Rosholt gets a couple of good wins and he will have a good chance of being back in just like a lot of the guys that the UFC cuts. Rosholt’s and Leben’s situations are completely unrelated.
by who me on Nov 30, 2009 9:17 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Getting cut from the UFC is a good move for him. Now he is two wins away from being top 10…
Some people think I am a dumb, ugly human being, but really I am a beautiful ape, with exceptional verbal skills.
by szucconi on Nov 30, 2009 6:13 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
People say this kind of thing all the time. What fighter or fighters are you referring to that have left the UFC and shot up the rankings after only 2 wins?
by JRN on Nov 30, 2009 6:18 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Andrei Arlovski
Beat Ben Rothwell and Roy Nelson, shot to #2.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Nov 30, 2009 8:06 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Just about everyone.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Nov 30, 2009 8:19 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
He also left the UFC on a three fight win streak and was ranked #6 in the world. He then jumped up to #4 after beating #10 Ben Rothwell and #16 Roy Nelson (and of course #5 Tim Sylvia losing). He finally went up to #2 because either: the voters showed favoritism because he was fighting Fedor; or #2 Big Nog and #3 Randy Couture lost. Take your pick.
by John Nash on Nov 30, 2009 8:51 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
An actual explanation instead of saying “favoritism” because so and so fought outside of the UFC. None of that around here. =)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Nov 30, 2009 9:54 PM EST up reply actions
The reason most guys move up the rankings after they leave the UFC is that they tend to fight a lower quality of opponent and can put together long winning streaks which most ranking sites love.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Nov 30, 2009 10:03 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
I think you hit the nail on the head.
We see the same phenomenon in boxing, with guys developing inflated records against pathetic opposition, but everyone likes the shiny record and KO stats.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
by misterjonez on Nov 30, 2009 11:18 PM EST up reply actions
This is obviously true. JT Money left the UFC and went on a 7-0 tear against lower quality opponents, and shot through the rankings….oh wait.
I think he meant lower quality like Strikeforce not lower quality like nobodys.
I dislike Matt Hughes. Shogun beat him like a dirty horse.
Right, because providing one example against the point when there are several for it like Arlovski, Barnett, Babalu, Hieron, and soon Werdum makes it untrue.
Werdum? Not yet.
Babalu never really shot up the rankings.
Hieron has been fighting out of the UFC practically his entire career.
Barnett is a PRIDE HW who has fought the best throughout his career.
Arlovski beat two top 20 HW’s Roy Nelson and Ben Rothwell in exciting fashion. Like it or not, voters take that into account, not to mention it was against top 20 fighters. Everyone had been waiting for Arlovski to let his hands go in the UFC, and he didn’t. He did in Affliciton and voters loved it.
Santiago did shoot up, but he did win two tournaments and beat some pretty good opposition. Winning tourneys against good competition is the #1 way to shoot up rankings.
I agree with you that a lot of fighters get overrated beating up inferior opponents (Lawler going to 6 for beating Smith, Trigg, and Villasenor comes to mind) , but I don’t think any of the HW you listed have done so.
When Sylvia and Arlovski left the UFC they were ranked 5th and 6th. (Josh Barnett was number 4th and Werdum was 7th). When Sylvia lost to Fedor Arlovski moved up to 5th. He moved up after #2 and #3 Nog and Couture lost and jumped ahead of Barnett by beating Nelson(#17) and Rothwell (#10). So Barnett actually got punished by not fighting higher caliber opponents. Barnett only moved up to 2 from 3 when Arlovski lost.
Meanwhile Werdum left the UFC ranked #9 (was #5 before losing to JDS) and has not lost since but is currently ranked 10, so he hasn’t gotten much of a bump.
Still waiting for some official word
I think this is unusual. He’s a major prospect and has been very exciting to watch since moving up to the UFC. Maybe it’s one of those “go win one/two and come back” deals where he takes some fights with an MFC, because if it’s not, this was a bad move by the UFC.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
This
He showed a lot of promise, and his last two fights have been a lot of fun to watch. He looks like he’s improving. Getting caught in a triangle to Kendall Grove shouldn’t be enough to send him packing.
Although I agree with you, and think this is a pretty dumb move. I told you so… And please believe me, it hurts to say that.
And I agree with what you said about 15/15 being handsome. That’s more than most people make in a year for basically 3 months time (mostly training obviously). And he probably gets quite a bit from sponsors too, which is something nobody has taken into consideration as far as I’ve seen.
by itsallgood013 on Nov 30, 2009 11:17 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah, you did say that
But I thought there was no chance, and it’s clear that’s a prevailing opinion with good reason. We’ll see if they make him re-negotiate or he actually leaves.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
I kind of hope that he does leave for a fight or two, like you mentioned. Because I’d rather see him “headline” a card and gain a little more recognition than just be stuck in the prelims all the time. And he’s still fairly young, so I’m sure he’ll bounce back.
BTW, look out for his brothers in the future too. I saw his next youngest brother, Jared, wrestle against the U, and he’s a beast @ HW.
by itsallgood013 on Dec 1, 2009 5:07 PM EST up reply actions
that is understandable
this is :/
"he's the best punchy face man in the buisness"
by blubber_guard on Nov 30, 2009 7:28 PM EST up reply actions
As long as this means we get more Phil baroni i’m ok with it.
by nastyem on Nov 30, 2009 6:55 PM EST reply actions 4 recs
It makes sense. The UFC is not a developmental league. If he kept fighting UFC-level middleweights he’d likely go 50/50. He needs a few years more seasoning fighting guys at similar level of development before taking a second stab at the big show.
by Michael Rome on Nov 30, 2009 7:35 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
It makes sense until you look at some of the people who stick around on the UFC’s roster.
by JRN on Nov 30, 2009 7:54 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
You are comparing apples to oranges.
Every cut is different, this guy has a ton of potential and will probably be better off career wise taking some time away from teh UFC and getting better than staying and facing super tough competition.
by Phildo on Nov 30, 2009 8:36 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Well, I’m referring most directly to Chris Leben, who lost his last fight to Jake Rosholt. So I don’t feel the comparison is at all unwarranted.
I don’t dispute that he might be better off this way in the long term. It’s not so much cutting Jake Rosholt that I have a problem with; it’s cutting him and keeping some of the other people they keep.
Also, it is certainly possible to stay in the UFC and not face super-tough competition for a while. They’ve given other prospects gimme fights. The UFC is a developmental league for some people.
Well if Leben blows it again he will probably be out on his butt too and unlike Rosholt the UFC may not want him back later. Of course Leben actually has something that Rosholt doesn’t have and that is name recognition, Leben has headlined cards and Rosholt is a basic unknown to casual MMA fans. That makes their situations very different.
That’s more or less exactly my point. Chris Leben gets another chance, a chance totally unrelated to actual fighting performance. Let’s not forget the recent steroid suspension, either.
That’s pretty sorry behavior for the World’s Greatest MMA Organization. It’s also wholly predictable and characteristic behavior, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.
You can’t just factor in fight results because that’s only part of the equation.
Rosholt has looked horrible on the feet at times, has a contract that says all his fights must be on TV (making a demotion to the prelims, which might help, and what happened to Leben not possible) and is much younger in his career, plus the lack of TUF following.
Fight performance is only part of the equation.
by Phildo on Nov 30, 2009 10:34 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Well thats how the worlds greatest MMA organization stays the worlds greatest MMA organization, lets face facts if no one wants to watch your fighters then you go out of business and casual fans just don’t care to watch Jake Rosholt’s fights. Heck after his travesty of a fight in the WEC I haven’t been much of a fan of his myself.
Leben has been with the company since 2005 and has had 13 fights in the UFC (8-5 in the UFC), Rosholt is 1-2 in the UFC and one very sloppy fight in the WEC, that also makes a huge difference. We are talking about a proven 7 year veteran of the sport to a young guy who has only been fighting for two years. That is a reason that is totally related to actual fighting performance, Leben has proved himself over the years to a drastically higher level than Rosholt has, hell the only thing Rosholt has done in his career of any note at all is beat Chris Leben. Thediscussion could go on and on and on but honestly the UFC cuts and signs guys all the time for all sorts of reasons, why should Jake Rosholt deserve any special treatment from them?
We are talking about a proven 7 year veteran of the sport
Proven mediocre, sure.
to a young guy who has only been fighting for two years
…who soundly beat said proven veteran.
Leben has proved himself over the years to a drastically higher level than Rosholt has, hell the only thing Rosholt has done in his career of any note at all is beat Chris Leben/blockquote>
Haha. Surely you didn’t mean for it to come out this way. He’s proven himself to be “drastically higher” than Rosholt, except for that part where he lost to Rosholt?
why should Jake Rosholt deserve any special treatment from them?I’m not saying Rosholt deserves special treatment. What I am saying is Leben doesn’t deserve special treatment.
I really think the extent to which the UFC’s popularity hinges on thoroughly unremarkable stand-n-bang artists is hugely overstated. Maybe that was true in 2005, but I don’t think it is anymore.
The UFC is a developmental league! At least it is since TUF. They let good fighters like Hendo and AA go and sign and keep crappy fighters like Leben and Baroni. I beg to differ.
I’ll agree with your statement only if you qualify it with UFC is not a developmental league for wrestlers or submission guys.
It’s not a bad thing that they are trying to develop fighters.
Also, AA and Hendo are bad examples, they weren’t let go because the UFC didn’t think they were good fighters, they were let go because the UFC did not want to pay them what they were asking for, 2 very different things.
Never said it was a bad thing to develop fighters. It’s no secret the UFC is making mucho money so they are doing something right. I just am starting to have doubts that the UFC is the best of the best as they have clearly been before and after Pride.
If you are the best than you should be paying the talent the best. This should ultimately be the measure of a sporting league. When Hendo who can arguably be at most one fight away from two championships get paid more elsewhere you might not be the best too much longer. Same with AA. I contend that they are GREAT examples.
@who me if the UFC wants exclusive contracts then they should be required to pay the FUTURE value of fighters winning. Considering most top fighters are signed for at least 5-6 fights and top fighters don’t fight, but 3 times a year at most then that should be a lot. Look at salaries 2 years ago and then the 2 years before that. Are they really that inflated? Sure they are seemingly “big” numbers to many, BUT the UFC also reserves the right to cut them after even 1 or 2 fights.
Does anyone know whether a new contract is negotiated when a fighter is released, picks up a few wins, and is brought back? I ask this because of the contract Rosholt reportedly got (i.e., high pay and guarantee all his fights will air). It would be a smart move for the UFC to release him and then renegotiate his contract when they bring him back.
(formerly TheFightJournal)
I think that's what is going on
Team Tapout negotiated some (relatively) lucrative deals with the WEC for its fighters and the UFC tends to put fighters at what they consider the high end of their pay range on the immediate contender track. Fighters who are willing to take less money are put on a slower development track. The best example of this is Sokoudjou and Machida. Sokou went for the immediate pay day and got thrown into the deep end. Machida was willing to go slow and take a lower pay rate so he got easier fights to start.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
15/15 is a handsome rate for a blue-chip WEC-convert that needed a ton of development when he signed
So yeah..
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
Let’s not go so far with “handsome rate”. Maybe by comparison to others, but given real costs of training making 15/15 on 3 fights a year is no handsome rate. You get one injury in training not covered by the UFC and you’re basically facing medical bankruptcy.
by Michael Rome on Nov 30, 2009 9:57 PM EST up reply actions
It's in comparison to like-experienced fighters
No need to argue semantics..
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
by Blackout612 on Nov 30, 2009 10:18 PM EST up reply actions
15k/15k really isn’t a ton of money comparatively. But you are correct in your assessment of ex-WEC prospects:
Rosholt 15k/15k
Munoz 12/12
Stann 11/11
Cantwell 10/10
Simpson 9/9
http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com
I think he deserved one more fight considering that he was fighting some of the better middleweights in the division (not saying much but still). I mean he didn’t get the Jason Days of the world that saved Kendall Grove and helped build Bisping. He could go to Strikeforce and headline a challengers card or something to try and build some wins.
I think the UFC has a limit on how many wrestlers with subpar striking they can have on the payroll.
If you’re going to do that, you better win.
If you’re going to be middle of the road, you better be a stand and bang kind of guy.
They survive the longest.
by MickDawg on Nov 30, 2009 8:57 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I say this all the time, but Jake being in the UFC this early is classic poor management. You should not come to the UFC unless you are within 2 years of your peak, or you have such tremendous athletic ability that it can make up. I think Jake is still about 2-3 years away right now; he is much better off winning a couple fights, going to brazil and thailand to shore up different skills before taking another shot at the big time.
by Michael Rome on Nov 30, 2009 9:54 PM EST reply actions 4 recs
This is a symptom of a common problem. I fully expect Amir Sadollah to go 5-3 or 4-4 to start his career and stall out. If he started lower and then went to Stirkeforce, I bet he could have started undefeated in his first 8, he’s that talented, but he’s going to get thrown to the wolves too early.
by Michael Rome on Nov 30, 2009 10:42 PM EST up reply actions
And just to reply to myself, this is mostly the fault of influential online fans who demand new stars to fight top competition right away instead of understanding the importance to fighter development of getting multiple camps in and gaining new skills along the way.
Watch what happens with Jon Jones next it will give you a good idea on if he’s being well-managed. He’ll be at 10-0 with 4 wins in the UFC, but it would be a colossal mistake at his very young age to jump in and fight someone like Rich Franklin or Antonio Nogueira. He’s 22, and is improving bigtime each week at Jackson’s. In 3 more camps he is going to be a BEAST.
by Michael Rome on Nov 30, 2009 10:51 PM EST up reply actions
true..
this could be very good for Rosholt.. He has tons of potential. I’m sure he’ll be back, after he gets more experience and a couple of wins under his belt.
Compare the Rosholt of the WEC days, to the Rosholt now.. He still has a lot of holes in his game, but you can already see the huge improvements he has made. Give him a few fights on SF or other promotions and he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
by Anton Tabuena on Nov 30, 2009 10:57 PM EST up reply actions
That goes beyond the UFC too (Pride was absolutely terrible about throwing young guys to the wolves). Lots of guys seem to get a early buzz and fan following and then quickly get tossed in over their heads.
Yeah
not every fight is a Shogun and can wreck TOP MEN at like 23 years old
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
I like this TOP MEN thing.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
by AJB on Dec 1, 2009 7:28 AM EST up reply actions
Rosholt signed to fight in the WEC
which would have been perfect for him to develop and still get decent exposure. The collapse of the WEC middleweight division into the UFC isn’t something his management could have predicted.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
That’s true.
I was thinking earlier that maybe his management should have seen the hard road in the UFC coming and looked to change the contract to more fights and removing the “must be on TV” clause, but i’m not sure how much sense that would make.
This isn’t the end of the world for Rosholt, he can get some wins elsewhere and make his way back.
The first couple of season of TUF had guys who really were UFC ready (or close to it), but as the seasons have gone by the guys seem to of gotten younger and less developed. Sadollah is a prime example, he didn’t even have a pro fight going into the show. Guys seem to be wanting to jump up as quick as possible instead of really developing a rounded game and good experience and TUF is giving them that. The UFC really needs a developmental league if they are wanting to pursue fighters at that level.
This is somewhere mma could take a page from boxing where fighters are nurtured on their way up (or wrecked if bad management decides to throw them to the wolves). Gegard Mousasi is a prime example of how a fighter should be developed: they waited until his 16th fight before they moved him up against a top fighter in Akihiro Gono. Are fans (and Strikeforce) going to be patient enough with Bobby Lashley or King Mo to wait 4 or 5 more fights before seeing them against ranked opponents?
Jeremy Stephens is also a good example..
lots of upside, but too early to be in the UFC in my opinion..
but he doesn’t have a contract like Rosholt’s so they can afford to put him on the prelims and fight nights so he can develop more.
by Anton Tabuena on Nov 30, 2009 10:59 PM EST up reply actions
Thanks to all you guys for your support. It means a lot. I’ll be back. I’m young, I’ll bounce back and be a better fighter. -Jake Rosholt
UFC matchmaker Joe Silva wants middleweight Jake Rosholt to get more experience, his manager told MMAWeekly on Monday.
Rosholt on Monday announced he had been cut from the UFC via his official Twitter account. He went 1-2 in the Octagon.
Ted Ehrhardt, who in 2007 recruited the standout wrestler for a career in MMA with Team Takedown, said Rosholt’s exit would not be permanent.
"We’re gonna get him some more experience, try to get a winning streak going," he said. "They pretty much don’t have room on their cards to try to get someone a winning streak. They need them to have one before they come in."
Ehrhardt said he’d be trying to book Rosholt soon.
"He’s just gotta get a little bit better," he said. "He can’t get caught
http://www.fourouncestofreedom.com
If he does stay out of major promotions, he’s going to mash some people up bad. I’d love to see him on some MFC cards, personally.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
Saw this one coming
after the crowd fed him relentless boos after he beat Leben.
Knew his next loss was going to send him packing.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
